1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a frame for a vehicle seat that is intended to be deformed, in part elastically and in part plastically, under the influence of forces, for example, in connection with a collision, whereby the frame is executed in a metallic, hardened material.
2. Description of the Background Art
A frame for a vehicle seat, whereby the said frame is executed in one piece and in a comparatively thin material, is previously known from DE-A-42 38 549. In this way, in the event of a collision, the material in the frame will be deformed in a ductile manner in the areas with the greatest concentration of tension without the frame being provided with specially designed deformation zones.
A vehicle seat that has a frame partly in plastic material and partly in metallic material, whereby part of the metallic material is connected to the sitting section of the seat, is previously known from EP-A-0 372 337. The part of the frame composed of plastic is attached to the part made of metallic material, whereby the latter is provided with a deformation zone with notches for folding.
DE-C-37 06 394 relates to a front seat in a vehicle, whereby the side portions of the frame consist of two sheet plates that are joined with one another at certain points, whereby the deformation zone is arranged between the said points. The deformation zones have been achieved by providing the plates with bulges located opposite one another and that have an extension across the main plane of the frame in a direction away from one another. The geometry and elastic limits of the deformation zones vary along the height of the seat.
For all of the documents referred to above, the deformation zones are achieved by the whole seat being given a special geometric design or the said deformation zones being given a special geometric design. Manufacturing such frames is associated with high costs as the construction design of the deformation zones differs significantly from the frame in general.
The primary objective of the present invention is to specify a frame for a vehicle seat, whereby the frame has demarcated deformation zones without these areas having a special geometric design, i.e., the frame can in principle can have the same geometric design in the deformation zones as in sections of the frame situated on either side of these areas. A further objective of the invention is that the application of the deformation zones takes place as a separate step after the frame has been manufactured. Yet another objective of the invention is that it shall be applicable to frames of in principle any geometric design.
The objectives of the invention are achieved by means of a frame for a vehicle seat that has the characteristics stated in the claims that follow.